The Fall of Humanity
by alimination602
Summary: A recount of the Battle of Reach and the history of Spartan II project.
1. Chapter 1

This was actually one of the first stories I ever wrote- but I've only recently decided to submit it. I'm re-reading through the story and submitting it Chapter by Chapter. Hopefully should have the entire story up soon.

Reviews much appreciated.

(Note- This story was created very early on in the Halo Series development- may not entirely follow now established canon)

Chapter 1- In the Beginning…

It occurred in the year 2525. An alliance of power hungry alien races calling themselves the Covenant finally made their advance against humanity. United in their oaths to the Prophecy known solely as the 'Great Journey' they sweep the galaxy in search of any remnants of the fabled Forerunners. Though an alliance through hatred is a fragile one at best. Through the ages there have been rebellions between races, mass uprisings. These were quickly put down.

Through the years to come these aliens have destroyed many of the human colonies, one by one they have degraded the once grand human empire down to a handful of measly colonies. Out of desperation the Office of Naval Intelligence, a shady organization deep within the command structure of the UNSC authorized the SPARTAN II program to be lead by Dr. Catherine Hasley. Under the command of Dr. Hasley her attendants scouted the remaining human colonies in search of children with specific traits which could range to above average intelligence, agility, strength, speed etc. Once chosen the subjects, unknown to their families, were taken from their homes and replaced with engineered clones. The subjects were then escorted to the UNSC fortress planet of Reach, the final line of defense against the Covenant and Earth.

These children were then given intense military training and underwent biological enhancements to improve bone density, improved senses and accelerated healing. As the project progressed, and the list of surviving subjects diminished, the subjects received an advanced suit of armor codenamed project MJNOIR. This armor was so advanced and demanded so much from the wearer that only someone with the Spartans skeletal structure and reflexes could operate.

Many amongst the UNSC and even more amongst the Insurrectionists, who had long ago abandoned UNSC rule, saw the Spartans as abominations. Their solid suits of armor made them appear as more half human, half machine. Many who met a Spartan for the first time stared at them with slack jaws and glazed eyes.

After the final Human colony had fallen all that remained was Reach and Earth. Finally, with their backs pressed against the wall and the cold touch of th3e Covenants blade at the UNSC's throat the Spartans were given their most critical mission of all, one which could turn the entire course of the war. The Spartans were to capture a Covenant Ship, access their navigation computers and determine the location of the Covenant homeworld. Then, using the ship as a disguise, they were to infiltrate the Covenants homeworld and capture a member of the Covenant leadership known as a Prophet Hierarch and return them to UNSC controlled space. From this UNSC command hoped they could use their captured prisoner to learn more about the Covenant and perhaps even force a peace treaty between the two of them and end the fighting before the human race was wiped from existence forever. But, mere hours before the operation was due to commence, a new situation began to develop.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- The Calm Before the Storm

The entire Spartan team was assembled within the main armory of the _Pillar of autumn_, the ship appointed to transport during their mission. Each of the Spartans were each busy with their pre-battle rituals- assembling and disassembling weaponry, sparring or mentally preparing themselves. The Pillar of Autumn suddenly began to turn- forcing the Spartans to brace themselves on whatever solid object was within their reach at the time. Their leader, Master Chief Spartan-117, stepped across the weapon bay towards the communicator. He activated the COM link, the face of Pillar of Autumn Captain Keyes appeared on the viewscreen. "Captain Keyes, do we have an emergency situation?"

The Captains face appeared wracked with grief. "I am afraid that we have a problem. I will be brief your squad in the armory. Keyes out"

The elevator doors opened silently, UNSC Navy Captain Keyes stepped into the armory.

"Captain on the deck!" Spartan-087 Kelly exclaimed over the secure COM channel in the Spartans helmets. In regimented unison born out of years of training each of them suddenly stopped their ritualistic activities and snapped a crisp salute to their superior officer

Keyes returned the gesture "As you were" With that the Spartans returned to their previous task. "Master Chief" The Captain turned towards John, Jacob Keyes being one of the few people in the entire UNSC who could distinguish between the armored Spartans. "I am afraid we have a situation" Keyes whispered in hushed tones, a pointless endeavor as the Spartans amour was equipped with exterior microphones which could detect even the faintest sound for several klicks.

"Sir, with respect, whatever you can say to me can be said to my team" Keyes glanced across at the assembled Spartans, they simply continued with their rituals as they had before, despite listening intently to the conversation.

"Very well Master Chief. The Covenant has found Reach" A stab of fear went down the collective spine of the entire squad, but nobody reacted. "I just received the distress call from the Admiralty- they're requesting that all ships return to Reach immediately. We are being forced to abandon the mission"

John and his Spartans always despised ship-ship combat- he felt vulnerable, having no control over the situation. "We have two main objectives once we arrive at Reach. First the Covenant are attempting to force a ground attack of the power Generator facility which power the planets orbiting Mass Accelerator Cannons- the core backbone of our defense of the planet. Secondly the Covenant are also attempting to board an Orbital Defense Platform which has failed to initiate the Cole Protocol. The crew has been almost completely terminated and the Covenant are attempting to access the Stations mainframe- I cannot stress the ramifications if the Covenant are able to access that mainframe" Keyes sighed. "This is where it gets difficult Master Chief. I need some of your team to board the station and ensure the data is completely destroyed- we cannot allow any of that information to fall into Covenant hands. Weapons research, force strength. Earth"

Master Chief glanced over his squad. "We're prepared sir"

A smile grew on the old Captains lips. "That's good to hear Master Chief. I'll prepare a Pelican Dropship and fighter escort for the ground team, as for the station?"

"Just bring the Autumn in close, sir. We'll take care of the rest"

"Very well Master Chief. We'll leave Slipspace in about fifteen minutes" Jacob Keyes turned back towards the elevator, leaving the Spartans to prepare. The Master Chief turned back to face his squad- walking deeper into the armory to prepare for the coming battle. Spartan-104 Fred walked up to his leader's side. "Sir, permission to lead Blue Team to destroy the stations mainframe"

"Negative. I'll be leading that team" He glanced over his squad. "Simon, Sam and Joshua you're with me. The rest of you prepare equipment and report to the Dropship" John ordered.

"Yes sir!" The squad said in unison- they prepared their equipment for the mission. John knew that the Spartans would lose squad mates on this mission- that was something which was inevitable. Spartan Trainer Chief Petty Officer Mendez had told him that there was a difference between wasting the lives of your squad needlessly and sacrificing them for a greater good.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- The Descent into Hell

The Spartan Red team boarded the main elevator. Sam, Spartan-034, activated the elevator which would take them down to the _Pillar of Autumn's_ primary Hanger Bay. A sudden jolt rocked the squad as they descended through the bowels of the ship. The elevators speakers suddenly flared to life.

"_Attention all personal we have re-entered normal space and are engaging the Covenant fleet in Reach orbit. We have received reports of multiple boarding craft among the fleet. Marines prepare for boarding action_"

A far more violent shockwave cascaded through the ship, likely from the impact of a Covenant plasma round against the ship's hull.

"_Attention all combat personal Covenant Borders are inbound, report to your assigned stations. Impact ETA 2 minutes_" The voice of the ships AI remained calm and neutral despite the quickly worsening situation.

The elevator doors slid open, the corridor outside was already alive with human bullets crisscrossed against Covenant plasma rounds. Sam opened his COM link "Red Team report to the Pelican immediately. Do not engage the Covenant unless attacked first"

It was a lot to ask of a Spartan to back down from a fight- but the greater good of this war demanded it. The Spartans charged into the Hanger bay, the Pelican transport one of several ships arranged across the large open deck, running up the cargo ramp into the waiting craft.

James took the pilots seat. Fred stood on the loading ramp of the Pelican, scanning his assault rifle across the deck in front of him, searching for targets which might emerge out of any of the dozens of doors and corridors connecting to this level. A pack of Covenant Grunts waddled out of one of the doorways. "Contacts!" Fred yelled. Linda charged down the landing ramp from within the Pelican- the two of them firing their assault rifles into the advancing form of flesh. The Grunts slowly dropped one by one under the barrage of gunfire.

"Engines are charged". James contacted them over the COM from the cockpit of the Pelican. "We need to open the hanger doors from the control room"

"Wilco James" Fred replied. "Linda and I are on it"

Fred and Linda turned around the corner- their weapons kept tight against their chest as they moved deeper through the ships corrupted hallways. They continued to make their way through the deepening corridors- searching for their concealed target. They eventually came across the door to the main hanger control room- the two Spartans took positions on either side of the door. Fred raised three fingers, his other hand hovering over the door's control pad. Two, one. He activated the switch, the door swung open and Linda charged through the breach with her rifle raised, Fred following suit.

They small control room was dominated by a large control panel overlooking one of the ships main cryogenic bays. "I've got the computers" Linda secured her assault rifle against her back. "You watch my back"

Fred looked down into the adjoining cryo-bay. "Problem" Fred stared down at the display unfolding before them- a human technician hung in the steely grip of a black-ops Covenant Elite, the spectacle been watched by two Elite minors. The technician struggled against the creature's solid grip, a string of unintelligible yells cascading past the creature's mandibles. The technician attempted a muffled protest- only to have the creatures grip tighten around his neck and its feral growls deepen. The creatures eyes suddenly passed over the window overlooking the bay. Fred could see the burning anger in the beasts eyes. The creatures grip tightened even further- the soft cartilage of the human's windpipe collapsing under the unbreakable hold. His body went limp and the Elite cast the useless aside. Turning to his subordinates the Elite pointed an alien finger at the Spartan watching from afar- his alien voice likely calling for their swift deaths. "We have to move now"

"Nearly finished" Linda continued to frantically type commands into the console. Beneath them the three Covenant Elites charged through the bulkhead door into the network of corridors honeycombing the ship, it would not take them long to reach them. "Done. The doors should be unlocked"

"James, can you confirm?" Fred asked via his COM link.

"_Confirmed- hanger doors are unlocked. Get back to Hanger and we'll be ready to take off_"

The two Spartans stormed out of the control room, their weapons held tightly against their chests. They ran through a network of corridors, their highly attuned minds easily able to decipher the directions in reverse even in the heat of battle. Fred glanced over his shoulder to see that the three Elites they had spotted in the Cryo bay had suddenly appeared behind them in hot pursuit. The two of them turned into one of the small armourys which pocketed the ship and suddenly dawned upon an idea.

"Get to the ship!" Fred yelled- Linda knew what he intended to do. Fred ground to a halt, turning sharply to face the coming threat. Fred fired his assault rifle- the high velocity bullets bounced harmlessly off of the creature's shields, doing nothing to slow the creatures advance. Fred turned on his heels and continued down the corridor back towards the hanger bay. Linda stood just beyond the door at the end of the corridor, she held a fragmentation grenade in her outstretched hand.

"Fire in the hole!" Linda dislodged the pin, throwing the grenade into the confined corridor. Fred leapt forward- his augmented muscles allowing him to leap distances a regular human could only dream of. He passed the grenade in midflight, quickly rolling to his feet just past the lip of the corridor as the doors slammed shut and sealed. The two Spartans charged across the deck, stepping onto the ramp of the Pelican as it began to raise itself away from the deck. They glanced back over their shoulders to hear the rumble of the explosion and the burning creak of metal as the bulkhead door strained against the expanding gases as the stockpiles of ammunition and explosives ignited in the confined space. The seams of the door buckled and fractured, allowing plumes of flame to scorch the metal of the hanger deck. James expertly guided the craft out of the Hanger- ready to resume their mission.

The impact wrenched the metal loose, and what remained of the shattered door gave way under his immense strength. He punched his gauntleted hand through the shattered metal again, this time piercing the already weakened point. He wrenched his shoulder through the hole, the broken metal peeling away around him as he stumbled out into the deserted hanger bay. Wisps of flame still lapped at his ankles from the torrent Zarre had just emerged from, burned and drenched with the blood of his brothers, but alive.

The fierce space battle raged all around them- Covenant plasma rounds strafing human metal slugs all across the dark expanse of space. James gracefully piloted the Pelican Dropship through the debris field composed of both Covenant and Human wrecks which orbited the planet.

Amy clambered up into the Pelican's cockpit, bracing her hand against the bulkhead support. "How are we doing?"

"Things are a bit hairy right now. We can't afford to attract the attention of the Covenant fleet. I have to fly her through the debris field to avoid their scanners but this in itself presents a problem- if we even touch one of the larger debris pieces the ship will be smashed to bits" James indicated back over his shoulder. "Go check on the others and make sure they're all secured. If the Covenant spots us I'll have to perform some maneuvers not taught in the UNSC flight training"

Amy stepped back into the Pelicans cargo hold- scanning her eyes across the Spartans as they readied themselves for battle. A shockwave suddenly cascaded through the ship, Amy bracing herself against the bulkhead to avoid her collapsing to the deck. "_Holds on Spartans. Looks like we are going to have a rough ride_"

UNSC Major David Rowley strode through the Drop Pod bay deep within the bowels of the _Pillar of Autumn_, a deck the crew had affectionately named '_Hell's Gate_'- appropriate as this was the home of the UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, also known as _Helljumpers_. ODST's were the elite of the elite of the UNSC military, the marines who dropped into their engagements in specially designed pods launched from the ship which impacted the battlefield where needed and unloaded the troopers, ready to do their part in the preservation of the human species. The pods were vulnerable against enemy fighters or anti-aircraft fire and had no weaponry to retaliate with but their small size made them far harder targets and even when a lucky hit struck them it would result in one fatality rather than a dozen. The UNSC scientists had spent billions of dollars to invent a way of firing a soldier out of a ship in low orbit where upon re-entry the pod would be subjected to such intense heat there was a very real chance of the pod simply disintegrating, and if you did make it through you were then struck into the earth with intense force and thrown into the heat of battle seconds later. That is why they were known as the 'Helljumpers'.

"ODST's, listen up!" Rowley snapped his soldiers to attention, the assembled group of ODST's snapping sharply to attention at his voice. "I've just got the orders down from the Captain the situation out there is bad- that's why they need us. The Spartans are already en-route to protect the MAC generator facility which keeps Reach's orbital defenses running" At the mention of the Spartans Rowley could feel a cold chill ripple through his soldiers- there had always been bad blood between the Spartans and the Marines- the Marines seeing the Spartans as freaks of nature, and the Spartans seeing the marines as well trained cannon fodder. But when they came together- all that would have to be forced aside. "Those Spartans are already en-route in a Pelican- sipping champagne and nibbling appetizers. But we're made of sterner stuff. How are we going down there?"

"Feet first!" The group called in unison- it was the only way a Helljumper would enter the fray.

"Damn right we are. Check your gear- we launch from Hellsgate in five!" The group quickly disbanded, returning to their previous duties of checking and rechecking their equipment.

The ODST's assembled in front of their assigned pods. Their commanding officer strolling past the line of assembled ODST's. "Right- load up. We're dropping in one minute!" Rowley stepped into his drop pod, tightening his straps around his body.

"ODST's, listen up. We're making a hot drop near the generator facility- the enemy is swarming all over the area so be prepared for a fight the second you drop in"

Rowley disengaged the safeties of his dropped. The pod shot clear of the _Pillar of Autumns_ gravitational well, a sensation of weightless taking hold as he fell towards the planets surface.


End file.
